


Hair Match

by goldengoddess



Category: Metal Gear
Genre: Alternate Universe - 1940s, Alternate Universe - Boxing, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Slow Burn, Vignette, i didnt mean to make this fic so long, i dont know much about boxing but i do know a little about san francisco, liquids not actually. In this fic. but hes mentioned, theres no Super Gorey stuff but it occasionally mentions blood or broken bones
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-10
Updated: 2017-09-05
Packaged: 2018-11-30 11:22:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 16,314
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11462559
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/goldengoddess/pseuds/goldengoddess
Summary: “It’s New Years Eve.” Hal said, barely contained by the doorway.Dave blinked. Yes, it seemed to be. “It is.”“And you don’t seem to- I hope you don’t mind- you don’t seem to get out much.”That was true, “I don’t.”“Would you want to come over tonight?”Yeah, he would. “Sure.”“Great, see you then.” Hal seemed pleased, Dave felt pleased too.





	1. I.

**Author's Note:**

> its my fic and i can start healing their familys relationship if i want to!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
> anyways like i said. i didnt mean to make this so slow burn. but it is. also i originally wrote this to be about one chapter long and then it turned into a 20 page google doc so i hope the spacing between chapters isnt weird since they were supposed to all flow together. 
> 
> also! because im That Person the fic title is from the mountain goats song of the same name, and its Ultra snake/otacon:  
> [listen here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtSKj-Dy0Qw)
> 
> fic is almost entirely complete, should absolutely be done by the end of this month, if not you can hit be with a big stick

Bloodied knuckles were wrapped in white gauze, a split lip dabbed with petroleum jelly. Dave’s head hurt like the world was ending- but his racing heart knew it had just begun. 

 

…

The Chevrolet hummed in anticipation as Dave stood, slowly being pushed towards the curb by pedestrians in a rush. He slid himself in and nodded at the chauffeur, holding his trunk to his chest. San Francisco was big- not as big as New York, or Toronto, or any of the other places he’d been shipped off to for glory- but as the engine downshifted and they climbed the endless hills, he looked out across the bay, and felt like a god floating one hundred million miles in the air. It’s here he would be training in the off season, until April bloomed again and people felt like seeing men knock the shit out of each other. 

He didn’t talk to the driver. The driver didn’t talk to him. Instead, Dave rolled down his window and leaned out, biting and salty air hitting against his cheeks. Maybe the West Coast would have something for him that the East didn’t, maybe being in any new city would help. He was ready for anything fresh and bright that came his way, anything at all. But he wasn’t surprised one bit when the driver pulled in front of a rather dull apartment near the middle of town.

“Looks like one of the original buildings” the driver broke their silence and Dave’s blank stare at the gray house. “Lucky you.” He said with a false smile. 

“Historic, huh?” He said. “Hope it doesn’t creak.”

The driver laughed, but Dave didn’t see the humor in it. He handed over a wad of cash and exited the car, immediately alone as the man sped away. His jacket flittered in the wind as he sized up the building, psyching it out, as if he was in a match. The streets were clear in this part of town, much quieter than by the wharf. Only a few kids were playing down the street, kicking a ball back and forth from the opposite sidewalks. He bit down on his lip and approached the twin doors, knocking on the left twice to make sure he was on the right side of the duplex. With no answer, he fished the key out of his breast pocket and jammed it into the slot, opening the house up for the first time in what looked like forever.

Dave stepped in, tentatively. The front room was small, cramped, there was a small loveseat and a coffee table. He ran his index finger along the windowsill, picking up a small streak of the years of dust that had collected. Lists and lists ran through his head as he set the trunk on the floor, standing up straight to asses the rest of the room and the shiplap that went wall to wall. 

There was work to be done.

 

…

 

At the crack of dawn he rose, dressed himself, and wandered out into the bright morning. 

Two hours later he came home with a black eye and a tin box of tea cookies. It was exhilarating- training. He couldn’t remember the last time he had so much to learn from an opponent. No, not an opponent. A teacher. She was in her mid-sixties- had to have been- had mentioned his father and seemed to know everything about his lineage- and had utterly destroyed his routine. He smiled to himself as he kicked off his shoes, not caring particularly about the state of the room. Six months training with the Boss. What a name too, sounded like the kinda shit his dad’s friends would’ve loved. Succinct but powerful. He sat on the loveseat and looked through the window, the sun high now that morning was in full effect. 

 

…

 

Two months ago Dave had moved into the tiny double house, now he was drinking at a bar, listening to a baseball game over the radio. The scotch was good and cheap and no one bothered him here. The waiter was friendly but not overly and it was close enough to the house that a short walk while not entirely lucid wasn’t impossible. It was the being home, alone, for two months, that was hard. 

That changed quick. 

He made it back to his apartment, the clock next to the stove reading eleven o’clock. He tugged off his boots and socks and ambled up the stairs to his room, stripping his shirt off and feeling the soreness of a jab to the gut stretch out as he set the laundry on the chair in the corner. It was quiet, just the moonlight in the window and the soft, far away sound of the city alive. So quiet, that Dave jumped when a loud  _ thump _ hit the wall. He stood still for a moment, then decided to get closer. It hadn’t come from his side, obviously, so it was the neighbor. 

He had not met the neighbor, not formally at least. All he knew was the man looked a little younger than him, and had incredible spectacles. It was like he was looking through glass walls. They had said ‘hello’ now and again, but with Dave’s usually bright and early schedule, they didn’t cross paths much. And he certainly didn’t hear much from his side of the house either. He pressed his ear against the wall, listening, and jumped again when another  _ whack!  _ hit right where he was standing. 

“Jesus!” he could make out from where he stood. Maybe the guy just liked kicking walls? He hoped. But at this hour? Another  _ whomp  _ and then, “Mary and Joseph!” Dave laughed at that. 

“Need help?” he said before he thought about it. A strange quiet paralyzed him for a moment. He cursed himself, talking to strangers through walls was likely not very acceptable of a thing to do. But hey, it was the West Coast.

He had to strain to hear his neighbor, “Uh, yeah. Yes, actually.”

Dave chewed on the inside of his mouth, this had to be weird, no matter what side of the country you were on. “You like tea cookies?”

 

…

 

Dave was floored by the man’s house and the complete and absolute  _ messiness  _ of it. He had never seen a place so poorly kept together or so full of utter shit. Papers stacked up to the ceiling in the front room, newspapers and books piled up on the kitchen table and the room that matched Dave’s bedroom- what he thought had to be his neighbor’s bedroom as well- was lined, wall to wall, with military grade technology. 

“Emmerich- it’s Emmerich, right?”

“Hal Emmerich. Just Hal’s fine.”

“Okay, Hal, what the hell’s all this?”

Hal stood in the middle of the room, dressed in a gray turtleneck and brown corduroys that were a little too short on him. His hands were stuffed in his pocket, having nervously awaited Dave’s appraisal of the room. “You a hoarder?”

Eyebrows furrowed behind the specs, “What! No! This is all- this is all very important.”

Dave sighed, “That’s exactly what-”

“Not- no, not to  _ me _ \- well, yes, it’s important to me but-” he held up his hands, “Hobby. It’s hobby stuff. It seems like a lot, but it’s just what I’m into.”

Dave raised an eyebrow. “A hobby.” he deadpanned. 

“Yes!” He stepped back, over a stack of binders, and touched one of the metal boxes with a light hand, “It’s sonar.”

That was genuinely interesting, though, he thought. “That explains the papers, you do a lot of math, huh?”

He nodded, “Loads. And it all gets thrown away as soon as I turn it in- with everything constantly changing and all-”

“Turn it in?” He inquired, following Hal over to look over the machine, peering into the glass square and its dull green light. “And doesn’t it need some sort of antenna?”

“To the uh- college, you know the campus- by the lake.” He said, hands fidgeting in his pockets.

Dave nodded, “And the antenna?”

“Chimney.” 

“Huh.” he said, a little dumbfounded, “That’s either smart or incredibly stupid.”

“Probably a little of both.” he said, with a small smile, eyes glancing down and away.

Dave looked him up and down again. He was taller than Dave, skinnier, and radiated bookish hermetism. “So,” he began, “what did you need help with?”

“Oh!” Hal said, “This compartment keeps short circuiting and I’ve just gotten- well-” he trailed off. “Anyways, I just need another hand.”

“Good thing I’ve got two.”

 

…

 

He didn’t see much of Hal for awhile after that. Dave had, for what it was worth, invited him to lunch once. But he was busy with his sonar, said he had a trip to Los Angeles, and wouldn’t be back until the weekend. But that weekend was when Dave had to go to Sacramento to meet with some folks who’d set up matches for him come summer. It wasn’t meant to be.

But training was good. He liked the clean intensity of it, and loved showering after even more. There were other regulars who came to the gym at the crack of dawn just like Dave, but nothing really sparked. He might’ve gone to a Christmas dinner with the Boss- only to discover she was much more closely involved in David’s family than he had originally expected- but it was almost January now and he spent most his time reading and listening to the radio. 

Sometimes he thought about poking around Hal’s again, but it didn’t seem appropriate. Until, that is, the man came over himself.

“It’s New Years Eve.” Hal said, barely contained by the doorway.

Dave blinked. Yes, it seemed to be. “It is.”

“And you don’t seem to- I hope you don’t mind- you don’t seem to get out much.”

That was true, “I don’t.”

“Would you want to come over tonight?”

Yeah, he would. “Sure.” 

“Great, see you then.” Hal seemed pleased, Dave felt pleased too.

 

…

 

Two minutes until midnight, the radio host said. Hal was a lightweight, but Dave was pretty drunk too. He was rambling about the sonar, jargon spilling from his mouth like he didn’t know what to do with it. Except he did, all too well.

“Hey, Hal.” Dave said, the light above the kitchen counter a little too bright.

“Yeah?”

“Do they have fireworks in San Fran?” 

Hal thought for a moment, “I think so?” He stood up, a little wobbly, and pulled the beaded light switch, letting the glow of the city shimmer through the windows in its fullness. 

“Hey, Hal.”

“Yeah?”

“We should do this more.”

“I think so too.”

Midnight struck and the people over the radio were certainly pleased. Dave shook Hal’s hand and Hal poured another glass for the both of them. Gold and red shown over the skyline and Dave smiled into his glass.


	2. II.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> really short but next chapter will be Long...

Being three-thousand miles away from where he had grown up was better than anything Dave could’ve asked for. He had been independent for awhile, yes, but it was nothing compared to having an entire coast to himself. Just him, and Hal, that was. They didn’t talk much about personal lives, they didn’t need to. Instead, they ate lunch together at delicatessens by the water. Or Dave read as Hal worked through math problems at the park. He didn’t ask, but he knew Hal was slowly changing his sleep schedule. Whereas he seemed to have only gone to bed after midnight, he was waking up before noon to meet Dave as he returned from the gym. It was nice, having someone to talk to.

“I want to get a dog.” Dave said, looking at two giant white balls of fur chase after a young girl with a stick in her hand. Hal looked up from his notes and watched Dave’s line of sight.

“There’s nothing stopping you.”

He nodded thoughtfully, “A dog wouldn’t be good to travel with, they need to run.”

“Where are you traveling?” Hal asked. Dave shrugged, once the year was up he would probably have to leave again, and he didn’t know if he’d be able to take everything. The apartment was temporary, the training was temporary. He looked at Hal with a sudden pang of urgency. No, Hal wouldn’t be temporary. He’d make sure of that.

“My family lives on the East Coast, I’ll have to visit them one day or another.” he said, a half-truth, unsure he’d ever see them again if he could help it. 

“Well, if it’s just family, I could always, you know, take care of it while you’re gone.” Hal said, a little unsure, but sincere nonetheless. 

“That’d be really nice, thanks, Hal.”

“No problem, Dave.”

 

…

 

A week until summer. A week until his first match.

He hadn’t got the dog- not yet- he wanted to wait until he had some money for cushion, in case the dog had issues he wouldn’t be able to foresee. So he could raise it right. He was training harder than he ever had in his life and it was paying off. The Boss wasn’t so formidable now, not after six months of bleeding and punching and sweating. And if she wasn’t terrifying to beat- then how could anyone else in the whole world be? 

Dave spat blood out on the blacktop before coming home. He was promised that he wouldn’t have a black eye going into the season, but he had everything short of a bruise. He stretched as he made himself toast, not bothering to rinse off before a real breakfast- he was hungry. 

At the door, three knocks rattled out- a little code Hal and him had made. It was daytime, and past nine, so he was just letting the house know it’d have another body to support with its dying floorboards, since Dave already knew he’d be over anyways. 

Hal stepped in, carrying a thick binder exploding in papers. He was wearing something relatively new too- something other than years old slacks and a gray turtleneck. No, Dave was surprised to see a white blouse with a loose green necktie. He looked nice, well put together, if a little skinny for the clothing. 

“Dave, guess who's getting a promotion!” Hal was all smiles as he swung into the kitchen, only to have his glasses almost fall off his face, the binder hitting the floor with a loud crack, “Christ- what happened? Did you get mugged? Where’s your shirt?” He quickly regained the binder and rushed over to the table, hand touching Dave’s jaw before he knew how to react. 

Hal wasn’t shaking- not entirely- but his brows were pulled together in worry. Dave froze, his mouth parted slightly.

“It’s fine, Hal.” he said in quiet voice, Hal’s fingertips were gentle and remaining against all odds.

The toaster popped and Dave stood up abruptly.

Hal sputtered, “Fine- fine- what? How is this fine? What happened? You- you’ve- you’re  _ fine _ ?” Hal almost spat, voice disbelieving. He had never seen him so worked up, not even on the night they really met when the sonar fell apart in his hands.

“I’ve had worse.”

Hal moved around him and blocked the toaster. “What happened?” he asked, voice softer, “Are you in trouble- like-” his eyes flashed back and forth, almost comically, “Like real  _ trouble _ ?”

Dave laughed, “I’m a boxer, Hal, getting into trouble is what I do.”

Hal’s jaw went slack. “So, you’re- you’re fine.”

He nodded, and then gently pushed Hal aside, “That’s what I said.” He buttered his toast, well aware Hal was staring at his back in shock, “So, a promotion?”

“Uh, yes.” he stammered, “The uh- the school is putting me in charge of sonar research program.”

“Exciting stuff.”

“Yeah.” Hal said, sitting down at the table as Dave shuffled the chair in. “A boxer? How long? How come you never told me?”

Dave took a bite of the toast, “I guess it just got away from me. I’ve been fighting since I was maybe- well, I think four. And I’ve done it professionally since I was nineteen.”

“Four?” Hal said, suspiciously.

“My father was a boxer, all his buddies were too. It’s a family thing, for better or worse.” It was more than that, really. He was raised in the sport. Most of his friends as a kid were related to someone his dad knew. Maybe that’s why he hadn’t made a lot of good memories with children his age. “Yeah, my brother was somewhat of a prodigy, but he kinda dropped off the face of the Earth a few years ago.”

“Oh.” Hal said, unused to Dave freely speaking about his homelife. “I’m sorry.”

Sorry. Dave was just as uncomfortable as Hal was too, then. “It’s okay. He hated Dad, but he’s probably alive, at least.” he chucked morbidly.

“You don’t talk?”

“Like I said, dropped off the face of the Earth.” Breakfast was finished. “Anyways, my first match is next week. If you like senseless violence you can come watch.”

Hal grimaced, “I think I’m alright. I’d rather not see my friend get ragged on by people for money.”

Friend. That was what they were, wasn’t it? He wondered how many of his childhood acquaintances actually considered him a friend first. 

“Hey,” Dave chastised with a grin, “who said I’m the one getting ragged on?”

Hal smiled, at ease, finally. “Oh, sorry, it’s not like your jaw is half-way broken.”

“That’s from my coach and it’s different.”

“Yeah, sure.” he rolled his eyes from behind his glasses, “Want to go to the park today?”

 

…

 

The first match was over before he knew it had began. Hal had knocked on his door as soon as he came home, probably having been listening for Dave’s arrival. He watched uncomfortably as Dave leaned against the refrigerator, beer in hand, head against the freezer top portion. “I won.” he said, exhausted. 

“You don’t look like you won.” Hal said, sitting on the counter. 

Dave laughed, his teeth still red. “Should’ve seen the other guy.”

“I don’t think I would like that.”

“No, you’re probably right.” Dave’s eyes flickered down. It was almost midnight, the incandescent light above them yellow on Hal’s thin face. He looked kind, Dave had to admit, and even better that he had a personality to match. “What about you?”

“What?” Hal asked.

“What do you like, then? You say you like technology, but that’s your job. What’s your real hobby?”

“I could ask the same of you.” He said, sitting back on his hands. “I like movies.”

“Any kind in particular?”

He shrugged, “I guess I like science fiction. Not really- I can't say I like the more horror aspects,” he laughed, "But, uh, stuff about space, or the future, that's the kind of stuff I'm into."

 Dave nodded, “Of course you are.”

He smiled, “I’m predictable?”

Dave grinned back, “Yeah, but it’s endearing.” he took a sip of his drink, “Did you want to be a movie star when you were a kid?”

Hal shook his head, “No, not really. I’m not much of people person, I’m sure you know.” he paused, “So what  _ do  _ you like?”

He thought back. Dave considered himself to be a rather boring person. He was good at following rules, good at beating people up, and not much else. “I like animals.” 

“That’s vague.”

“Dogs, I like dogs. We had a german shepherd as a kid, her name was Deedee. My brother would-” Eli would torture her if he got the chance, “he didn’t like her very much. But I took her on walks and fed her.”

He remembered when she died. One day she was there, a rather old, but still active dog, and the next day she was gone. Had to be shot, their dad said. She had gotten bitten by a rabid dog, he said. Dave didn’t believe him, still didn’t, and he had cried for days afterwards, to the ridicule of his brother. Of course he didn’t care, he never cared. He had screamed at his dad, told him the same thing he told Eli, only to find that annoyance in his face turned to something like real, genuine hurt. Dave hid in the woods behind their house for an hour after that, and sat on the granite slab by the creek, feet dangling in the cold water, until his eyes didn’t sting anymore. He was ten.

“Then you should get that dog you were talking about.” Hal offered. “Really, if you ever need to leave the state for a while, even a month, I’ll take care of it.”

Dave had finished his beer, “Yeah, okay.”

 

…

 

She was three months old and the sweetest thing Dave or Hal had ever seen. “Can we call her Daisy?”

“God, Dave, of course we can call her Daisy.” Hal didn’t even know why he asked permission.

She was a mutt, some kind of pit bull mix, and had soft brown eyes with big floppy ears. Hal looked at Dave and laughed. He knew he would die for her. 

 

…

It was almost night-time, and the sun was setting over the water in giant streaks of orange and purple and red. It was as hot as the bay could get- and they had caved in and bought ice cream. Now they leaned over the railing by the wharf, the water reflecting gold. Dave had a black eye, and his knuckles were broken and red. Hal had fussed about him and was astounded when he found Dave’s ‘medical kit’, a single band of gauze and a tin of petroleum jelly. 

“Are you trying to get an infection?” he had asked.

“It works.”

“You’re killing me. You are taking years off my life, Dave.” 

In the present, he laughed a little bit.

“What’s that for?” Hal asked, looking over at him.

“I was thinking,”

“About?”

He shrugged, licking ice cream off his upper lip. “You, I guess.”

Hal shook his head and glanced over at the hills to the east, where night was creeping in. He looked pensive, still, for once in his life. Hal was good at being quiet, but not good at sitting in one place for too long- restless, in a way similar, and yet entirely different from Dave’s restlessness. Maybe they complimented each other, both of them knowing where they had to go, but not what they wanted. It gave them something to talk about. “When’s your next match?”

“Wednesday.” He said, “Why? Do you want to come?” Dave was a month into his fights, and Hal hadn’t come once.

“Yeah, I want to, if you don’t mind.”

“Of course I wouldn’t mind, it’s you, Hal.” he smiled, “Hell, you could throw your ice cream at me right now and I wouldn’t mind.” 

“That’s weird.” Hal said, then suddenly spun around, cone in hand, “Are you willing to make that a promise?”

Dave laughed. He liked Hal a lot.


	3. III.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi guys! thank you for the kudos they mean a lot to me :3 i hope you all have a wonderful evening!!!! the next chapter is almost done haha but i hope you all enjoy this one!!!! (theres a little more blood, slight mention of broken bones, and a panic attack in this chapter jysk)

 

“So,” Hal began, “are you nervous?”

“Are you asking me or yourself?”

Hal rolled his eyes, “You. I got all my nervousness out on the walk here.”

Dave strapped his gloves on with a shake of his head as a knock came from the door. “Come in.”

A girl poked her head in, “David Sears? There’s someone here that wants to see you.”

“Tell them they can wait.”

She gave a tiny cough, “I don’t know if that would be appropriate.”

Dave looked up and frowned. “Did they give you a name?”

“John?”

“Oh, God.” Dave made a pained expression, like all the wind had suddenly gotten knocked out of him..

“Who's that?” Hal asked once the girl was gone. “Are you going to be sick?”

“I might.” Dave said, hands on his knees, “That’s my dad.”

“Your- that’s your _dad_?”

He nodded, still looking shell shocked.

“Doesn’t he live in New York?”

Dave nodded again.

“And he just flew across the states without telling you?”

Another nod.

“Christ.”

They walked out of the locker room together, out into the main section of the gym with the elevated ring. Dave froze in his tracks, grabbing Hal by the arm. “That’s him.”

Hal looked out at the group gathering. In the center were several men talking, but one man in particular stood out. He wasn’t incredibly tall, but he was built like a brick house, and looked like a mirror image of Dave, with a few changes here and there. “Eyepatch?”

“Eyepatch.” he confirmed.

He must have seen them, as he shook someone’s hand and made his way over to them. Dave’s face was stony, and Hal tried not freak out. If Dave was frightened, well-

“David.”

“Father.”

They stared each other down. Hal couldn’t imagine what was going through their minds.

“It’s been a long time.”

“It has.”

“Who is this?” he asked, in reference to Hal.

“This is my _friend_ ,” he bit, “Hal. He works for the university, studies sonar equipment.”

“John.” he extended a hand. Hal winced as his hand was crushed. “I’m David’s father. Although I think you know that, already.”

“Good to meet you too, sir.” he nodded, holding his right hand with his left, “I’ve heard you’re a boxer too?”

That seemed to get him interested. Dave looked silently relieved he wasn’t talking to him anymore. “And my father was too. A family business, if you will.”

Hal laughed anxiously, “Yeah, I have to admit, it’s pretty scary. The first time I saw Dave- David all bloodied and bruised- well.” He gave another timid laugh.

“It’s not for the weak minded.” He stepped back and nodded at his son. “Fight well, tonight.”

Dave nodded back, “Yeah.”

Dave won the fight, he always won the fight. Hal watched from the seats near the wall, putting himself as far away as possible from Dave and his blood filled spit and misshapen nose. The man he stood up against had screamed, he had dislocated his shoulder. Hal thought coming was a mistake, he didn’t want to throw up in front of his friend or his friend’s angry dad. But the lights came on and Dave was smiling so big and bright Hal felt himself smiling too. Dave jumped out of the ring and landed on both feet, a hug given to him by someone from the gym. Hal watched as his father walked up, nodded, and said something. Dave visibly gulped and shook his dad’s hand before coming back to Hal, breathing heavily as he rushed up and hugged Hal, almost knocking him off his feet.

“You did it!” Hal said when they broke away. “Right? You did win?”

Dave laughed, his hair nasty and dripping with sweat, cheeks alive and fresh, and eyes twinkling, “Yeah, yeah, I did it.”

“Good, I was getting worried.” he said as they went back to the locker room, Dave ripping off his gloves and shorts and getting under a shower. Hal faced the wall.

“Can we get Chinese food? I’m craving noodles.” Dave said through the hiss of water.

“You just won a match, you can get whatever food you want.”

Dave was silent for a moment, “I guess I can. Do you want to walk that far?”

“I don’t mind.”

When they passed through the main room Dave’s dad was gone. Outside, fresh air hit them, both already a little too used to the heat and thickness of the room behind them. The night was shaping up to be calm and cool, and as they made their way north, Hal asked, “What did he say to you? Your dad, I mean.”

Dave had a strange look on his face, like he had been thinking about it too. “He said-” he spoke, looking up at the moon hanging over the bay, “He said he was proud of me.”

Hal blinked, watching Dave’s face and his drying hair, “Isn’t that good?”

“Yeah,” he said, still looking contemplative, “It’s all I’ve ever wanted.”

“But you’re still not happy?”

Dave’s head spun quickly, almost like he was about to snap at him, but his voice was distant, “I don’t know.” he bit his lip, “I don’t know. I guess I am.” he watched their shoes move, kicking a pebble down the hill. “You work for the government, don’t you?” he said suddenly.

Hal stammered, “Where did you get that idea!”

Dave laughed, “Hal, I really like you. I’m glad we’re friends.”

He felt a tinge of heat on his cheeks as they passed under the painted red arch and down the busy street. “I’m glad we’re friends too.”

 

…

Dave watched as Hal kissed Daisy’s forehead and pet her back. Hal had been spending more and more time at Dave’s recently, only going home to sleep (unless he crashed on the couch) or work. It was nice, having another body in the house. Even if it made the floors creak more, he had someone to help with dishes, someone to walk Daisy with, someone to go to the corner market with. Someone to be with.

With Hal around, he had done more than mope and watch tv. They had a little garden, just potted herbs on the windowsill. But it was nice to have fresh basil- and even nicer to actually cook meals. Instead of going out all the time, they tended to eat at home now, a nice change for his wallet. Neither of them were spectacular at cooking, but Dave wasn’t bad, and Hal always knew when to tell him to stop with the salt. It was comfortable and good and Dave meant it when he said two months before that he was glad they were friends. He wanted to say it more and more- sometimes he didn’t feel like Hal truly knew what Dave would be like living absolutely alone.

“I’ll be gone the week after next.” Hal said.

“Where to?”

“Washington, for work.”

“The state or the capitol?” He asked.

“The capital.”

Dave cocked his head, “Is the president looking at your research?”

“Honestly, I have no clue. But I’ll bring you a souvenir.”

He laughed, “Alright, take pictures too.”

A week later, Dave woke up to clanging downstairs. Daisy wasn’t at the foot of his bed and the sun had not even begun to rise yet. Dave cautiously crept down the stairs, relieved to find Hal picking the toaster up off of the floor. He smiled ‘sorry’ and Dave clapped his back, taking the machine from his hands and plugging it in. They didn’t talk as they ate breakfast, or as Dave handed Hal the brownie camera he had been given for a birthday a few years prior. But as Hal opened the door, ducking slightly to miss the top, Daisy barked at Hal.

“Be a good girl while I’m gone, okay?” He said to her. She wagged her tail, and smiled like she knew what he was saying. “Don’t burn the house down, either.” he said to Dave with a grin.

He looked at him like it was the first time they had met. Hal had some white in his hair now, despite his age, laughter lines just barely there. Maybe he took him for granted now that they had spent so much time together, maybe he didn’t appreciate him enough. He wondered if Hal thought he was a bad friend, if he was too distant or unreceptive. “I don’t mean it literally.” Hal said, somewhat apologetically. “Just- I’ll miss you.”

“I’ll miss you too.” he said. “Am I bad friend?”

“What- Dave, no.” Hal blinked. “No, you’re a really good friend. You- you’ve done more for me than anyone else has, I mean it. I practically live in your house and you’ve never said anything- and- Dave.”

He watched as light began to swell through the window, morning finally shining. “Dave, look at me.” Hal said. He looked at him. “You’re a good person.”

“You are- _oof_ ,” Hal pulled him into a hug, tight, and warm, and sweet. Dave’s nose was squished against his shoulder, a little uncomfortable, but nice all the same. Hal pulled away, but kept him at arm’s length.

“You’re a wonderful person. I’ll see you Sunday.”

“Bye, Hal.”

“Goodbye.”

 

…

 

Maybe he didn’t win all his matches.

The opponent had power like none other. Right hook- left hook- the man was ambidextrous, dexterous, and strong as a force of nature. Dave sat crumbled under the man as he wailed on him, punch after punch after punch while the referee cried at him to stop, eventually pulling the man off of Dave’s chest. He almost blacked out, his vision permeated with white dots and eye swelling to the size of a baseball. Glad wasn’t the right word- but he appreciated that Hal wouldn’t be home to see him like this.

In the locker room he sat after the fight, pressing a cloth filled with ice over what felt like his entire cheek. He didn’t want to go home, didn’t know how to. He looked down at his free hand, mangled like some wild dog had fun with it.

“You’re shaking.” he looked as far as his neck could turn, the Boss standing at the entrance of the room, arms crossed. She was hard to read. “Do you need a ride?”

He nodded yes.

Sometimes he could forget that the Boss was so well acquainted with his father. She seemed too sharp and too open minded for the likes of his group. Maybe it was because she had so many years on him, had seen more and had understood more than him.

“Your father and I developed the kind of style I taught you, did you know that?” she asked, streetlights rolling over the blue car.

He shook his head.

Parked in front of the duplex, she touched his shoulder before he opened the door. “You won’t fail again.” she said. It surprised him, the tone of her voice. He had heard those exact words hundreds of times before, but they had all meant something different from this. “I know you won’t.”

He nodded, chewing on the inside of his lip.

“Goodnight, David.”

Dave entered the house and was met by Daisy and her wet nose. He smiled a little bit as she nuzzled the inside of his hand, back pressed against the door. The stairs groaned as he went upstairs, passing the small broom-closet of a study where Hal has taken to sleeping. He should get him a real bed. Even his side of the house didn’t have a mattress, just a long couch now obscured by paperwork. He wondered what Hal was doing the moment Dave was slammed to the ground, something swelling in his chest as he closed the door to the bathroom, looking his bloodied face in the mirror. There were two razors on the counter, a dented can of barbasol behind the faucet, two toothbrushes in a glass. He paused, eyes trying to focus on what was before him.

No, he wouldn’t fail again, Dave thought. Not like tonight, not again.

 

…

 

Daisy rose from Dave’s lap and stepped over him as she bolted for the noise coming from the front room. He rolled off the couch and lumbered over to see Hal struggling with a giant cardboard box. “Need help?” he asked.

“If you would just-” Dave took it from him and almost tripped- it wasn’t just Hal being about a quarter as strong as him- it was heavy.

“Are you starting a rock collection?” He wheezed, moving into the living room and trying his best to gently set the box down onto the coffee table.

Hal chuckled, “No, just saw something at a garage sale. It was cheap and almost brand new.”

“Almost new my ass, the box looks like it's been in somebody’s garage for a century.” He slapped the side of the warbled cardboard.

“Just open it.” Hal said.

He did as he was told and found a mahogany colored wood box, the same dimensions as the case it came in, with just a little room on the side for a thick manilla package. Hal stepped over and pulled the top back, revealing a record player, then slid out the envelope and handed it to Dave. He looked at him as he opened the flap and pulled out the stack of records. He shuffled through them.

“You like some cheesy stuff, Hal.”

Hal laughed, “I guess I do, but you know, it’s too quiet around here.”

“Even with the dog?”

He pushed his shoulder, “Different kind of quiet. Hey, just put one on.”

Dave smiled and set a record in place, then moved the needle over and hit the switch. A muted trumpet and upright bass shimmered out of the record player and Hal’s smile doubled. Daisy barked at him and he held his arm out, letting her jump up and set her paws on it. “Dance with me, Daisy.” she barked again as he stepped in time to the music, Dave watching with a small, humorous grin.  

_Our love is a dream…_

“Isn’t that right, girl?”

Another bark. She jumped off and wagged her tail, “Now she expects a treat.” Dave pointed out.

He watched as Hal thought something, then held out a hand. Dave looked at it, and then back up at Hal.

_My dreams are as worthless as tin to me…_

Dave took Hal’s hand. He was clumsy, and had only danced at a wedding once, but he let himself be moved and laughed as Hal spun him. “Are you going to dip me?”

“Christ no, you weigh twice as much as me.” He said as Dave lazily stepped back into position.

_So love me as I love you in my reverie…_

It wasn’t hard to admit he was having fun, and maybe he was getting a little too into it, as he almost backed Hal over the dog, both of them ending up on the floor laughing, the instrumental part weaving its way out as they sat, Dave’s hand on the dog, saying sorry for troubling her. She licked his face and trotted away, leaving the two of them alone with the song slowly fading out. He heaved a sigh, about to say something or another about Daisy, before meeting eyes with Hal.

He was looking at him, just watching. Dave knew he had stared his fair share of times, but he tried not to when he knew Hal could see him, or when anyone else could. He didn’t really understand why he followed that convention, but then again, he’d do anything to make Hal feel comfortable around him. It was because he was a friend, Dave reasoned to himself, glancing around the room at the floral wallpaper that was a million years old, the back of his neck feeling warm. Hal was a friend that he cared very much for, and who, he hoped- but somewhere deep down knew for certain- cared a lot about him too.

“I’m going to miss this place.” he said.

Hal’s soft expression fell, “Miss it?”

“Yeah, when I leave.”

“You’re leaving?”

Dave faced him, “There’s only a month left until September.”

“Oh.” he said. “I didn’t realize.”

“It was always-”

“Temporary?”

Dave felt that same ripple of grief in his heart, “Yeah.”

He only registered that he had fell on Hal, his legs overtop his, when Hal stood up. Dave followed suit, his heart racing with the change in mood. “I was here for this year, and the few months before it, apart of the contract. That’s how I could afford the apartment before work started again.” he explained.

“How many weeks do you have left?” Hal asked, voice quiet and void of the laughter they had had moments before.

“Eight. October first.”

“And then where will you go?”

He wished Daisy was in the room. “New York, I guess.”

Hal nodded, “Okay.”

“Okay?”

It was only noon, but Hal had quietly slipped away, mentioning some work he had to do that was time sensitive. He needed to be alone. Dave got that, at the least. It frustrated him that something so small could’ve apparently hurt Hal. He knew what he had done, in retrospect, but no matter what way he looked at it, he couldn’t piece together how to fix the problem, or why it had saddened him- both of them- so bad. He shut off the record player and slunk down on the couch.

 

…

 

Dave won the next match, and the match after that. The days were nearing October, the weather was creeping into fall, the trees on the streets turning yellow where they were once green. Instead of the subtle comfort autumn brought with heavier clothing and holidays, anxiety was brewing in him. Hal came over to walk the dog- their dog- he came over to find some papers he had left, borrow a book- but that was it. Dave was grinding his teeth every night and dressing his wounds alone. But that was okay, he thought, Hal needed space, and that was okay.

He had received a letter from his brother. Not many things got to him, but these days it seemed easier to be shaken. Dave had opened it as soon as it came, standing in front of the apartment, a paper bag of groceries in his hand. Shaken was an understatement.

“God, Eli.” he said, rereading it for the third time as he finally remembered to go inside. He was doing okay, he said. But he had moved to London, had been sent to war, lost a leg and was discharged. He was somewhere in France now, painting, in spite of everything, and said he’d never show Dave anything he made, ever. That made him laugh, the paper slightly crumpled in his hand as he sat down at the table, his eyes burning, paper bag still on his lap. Of course they had never gotten along, and he knew he wouldn’t live to see the day where they were amicable, but having had radio silence for seven years- this was relieving and heartbreaking all the same. He folded the letter with cold fingertips and closed the envelope around it. Dave looked at the parchment on the table for a long time, the one piece of humanity he’d been allotted this month. He thought about dying, it wouldn’t be that hard.

 

…

 

Hal stood in front of the doorway, fist raised to knock, before giving up and turning away. He could walk to the store alone, anyways, it wasn’t that far. Down the street, first left, then second right, where there was always that elderly lady working who had learned their names seemingly before they told her, and always gave them free kielbasa for their patronage. After two weeks she had stopped asking where his friend David was, and that was when Hal knew he had made a mistake.

He could just walk in, with the bag, set it down on the table, and yell. He had yelled before, he could do it again. Raising his voice was hard, but he felt like screaming; he felt like screaming and taking the dog and leaving, if that was all Dave wanted to do.

It was childish, and he knew that, but it was more so not to be candid after so many months of being practical roommates. And more than that, it wasn’t fair- it wasn’t fair that he had to reserve himself to his side and feel awful knowing the problem could be solved so quickly. It wasn’t fair that Dave was bad at expressing himself too, and Hal knew it. But, back from the shop, he couldn’t pass the three feet it took to get from his door to Dave’s, so he entered his own home.

Maybe he’d just go in and take the record player. It’d give them an excuse to talk, only he wasn’t sure that would induce a conversation. Maybe he’d just go in to feed Daisy once, while he knew Dave was home. There had to be some way to force him into a corner. “What day is it?” he muttered, walking to the corkboard on the wall and pushing away papers to reveal a calendar. Fight day. Hal ran back down to the store.

 

…

 

Dave trudged into his side of the house, all pitch black and inky, save for a light down the hall. He groaned, the utilities bill for the month was already ridiculous. The floor seemed like it was on it’s last stretch- crying out from underneath his footsteps as he used the wall for balance. Tonight had been brutal, it had scared him too. Just like when he had been roughed up to the dirt. He remembered watching his father as a kid, standing up on a chair from the back of the room, poking his nose over the men crowded together to watch John “the Snake” Sears beat the immortal soul out of another man. Eli was standing on the same chair too, trying to push him over for the better view.

“Move, Eli.” Dave whined.

“Shut up, I wanna see.”

“Ugh, fine.” He moved over what little he could, squinting to see his father through the harsh lights.

It happened so quick- one moment he was being swatted at, the next moment the man was on the floor, blood melting from his lips, his nose, tears flowing from his eyes along with painful moans. Dave watched in horror as he saw something he hoped he would never have to see again- a man begging for his life. Some in the crowd had stopped cheering, understanding the simplicity of what was happening before them, others screamed louder, drowning out the “ _Stop!_ ” the referee was shouting, what the incapacitated opponent underneath their father couldn’t say.

“John!” a voice cried out from the crowd, Dave was feeling dizzy. He slipped off his seat and almost hit a man as he tumbled to the floor, Eli grinning with some venomous glee at the scene in front of him. He wanted to throw up, he wanted to get out of there. There was no way he could’ve been in range, but the sound of bones crunching filled his eardrums. He pushed the crowd away and ran outside, wiping his face dry of tears he hadn’t realized were flowing.

In his house, alone and an adult, he gasped for air, clutching the side of the wall, head beating like a drum. He slapped his hand over his eyes and mashed his teeth together, entire body sore and used. It was what he was good at- following rules- the rules of boxing, of martial fighting- and beating people up. He hated it. But it was him.

“Dave?” a disembodied voice asked faintly. He couldn’t bring himself to pry his hand from his face, instead sliding down to sit with his back against the wall. Somewhere far away, socked feet padded towards him as he felt on the verge of hyperventilation, his heart pounding away, faster than safe. “What’s wrong?” there was a hand on his knee and his whole body went rigid. “You’re crying-?” the hand moved to try and uncover his eyes, but his hand was locked over them. “I’m sorry.”

He could hear his own chesty breathing, and felt embarrassed. He wasn’t weak, anyone who knew him for more than a second could tell that. And he didn’t feel weak, or vulnerable, he just wanted for morning to come so he could take a shower and be done with it. He wanted to throw his gloves in the ocean and punch his father in the face and send a letter to Eli saying, “Fuck you I deserved better than that” and more than anything he wanted to apologize to Hal.

“Dave, I’m sorry, I overreacted, we should’ve talked.”

Hal sat next to him on the wall, the side of his body against his own. Dave leaned forward and pressed his forehead to his knees, breath uneven but slowing down. “I guess I always knew you would go-” Hal said. Dave’s breath hitched. “and that’s okay- we’ll still be friends. Letters don’t take that long in the mail. And besides, my job is going to start requiring me to visit Washington more, I’ll just plan my vacation days around that, and we can meet up.” He put a hand on Dave’s shoulder, then took it back, replacing it for a hug. Dave felt his eyes burn again, but let himself be enveloped by Hal.

“I was never going to leave.” he said through his knees.

“What?” Hal said.

“I thought about it-” he took a deep breath, steadying himself, “but I wanted to stay. I just didn’t know if I could.”

There was a moment of stillness before Hal asked, tentatively, “Can you?”

“I’m an adult man, Hal, I can do what I want.” he could feel Hal shake his head, and stifle a laugh. He smiled a little bit and leaned up.

“-Jesus, you’re caked in blood.” Hal said. “Wait here.”

Dave did just that, and he returned with a wet cloth, some gauze, and petroleum jelly. It didn’t feel awkward- it hadn’t felt awkward in a long time- to let Hal wipe the match from his face, to touch his lips where they were cut, or clean his knuckles. It didn’t feel unusual at all, in fact it was one of the things that made his job liveable. Hal’s hands on his, close for the nature of their relationship, being taken care of for once in his life.

“Does your head hurt?”

“Are you sure you’re not a medical doctor?”

“Just in engineering.” he laughed, quietly, the light from down the hall just bright enough to reflect on his glasses, “Aspirin?”

“God, yes, please.”

He returned with two orange pills and a glass of water. Dave took them and set the empty glass on the floor, hands still shaking slightly. “Hal?” he said as a question.

“Yeah?”

“Thank you.”

“Of course, we’re friends, aren’t we?”

Dave nodded, “But still, thank you. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“I do.” He said, resting against the wall. Dave did the same, and they watched the reflection of the moon on a picture frame on the wall. It was some painting that had been there when Dave rented the place, just a painting of the bay with little orange and red ferries and boats across it. There was a sun rising over the East, making everything gold and warm. “If you’re staying, what will you tell your dad?” Hal asked.

“You’re an asshole for making children fight.” Dave half joked.

“For real?”

“No, I think he already knows that.” Dave bit his lip, “I wonder if he got the letter too.”

Hal looked over, “What letter?”

“I got a letter from Eli,”

“Your brother?”

He nodded, “Yeah, I could hardly believe it. He said he had gone to war.”

“Oh wow, is he alright?”

“Lost a leg, but he says he’s fine.”

“Jeez.” Hal breathed, “Did he say what he’s doing now?”

“Painting with some buddies, I guess. Not boxing, I don’t think.” Dave turned, facing Hal, “I’m almost jealous.”

In the dark, Hal made that face he always made when Dave tried to laugh off something he didn’t find funny. Dave touched the top of Hal’s hands, perched on his knees and felt something shift in him. Why was Hal so good to him? The expression Hal made faded away and they sat again in silence, the whisping of tree branches against the sides of the house the only noise.

“Just talk to me sometimes, okay?” Hal said, “I talk all the time and if you want to say something, say it. I know I’m not scary but-” he sighed, “but I don’t want you to feel like you can’t talk to me. You’re my friend. Promise me, if you’ve got something to say, you’ll say it.”

“I promise.”

“On your life?”

“On my life.”

Hal grinned tiredly, “Okay, now enough of this. You;ve had Mrs. Malinowski, down the street, worried for weeks.”

 


	4. IV.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is a lot more otacon centric and like. gay. also like. i put the beginnings of snakes family so like.... strangelove :)  
> ALSO FUN FACT like. within writing the past two chapters i actually joined a boxing club. like i have gloves and wraps and got punched in the face by a 12 year old.. im sorry if i gave boxing a bad rap its really fun and the hardest work out of my life thanks ao3 for introducing me to something id never thought id do

 

Hal was wearing one of Dave’s jackets. It was too big, but in a good way, it wrapped around him and smelled like the house. It was October first, and he was walking Daisy. He had checked on Dave before he left, sleeping with that stern look he had on his face, his last match this evening, and a whole winter to themselves. Hal bought some flowers from their favorite elderly Polish lady and went on their way.

The walk was long, which Daisy appreciated, and the ocean breeze was especially mild, which Hal appreciated more. They walked into the fenced off green grassy hill and past the oak tree. He set down the chrysanthemums and stepped back, Daisy panting, the two of them alone in the park. “Happy birthday.” he said, to the slab of rock in front of him, hand on his dog’s head. 

They walked home. 

 

…

 

“A banquet?” Dave’s eyebrow shot up, “Just how good of a raise did you get?” he asked, inspecting the cream colored stock paper Hal had handed him. 

“Uh, very good?” Hal smiled, “Anyways, it’s plus one, so…” he trailed off. 

“You want me to come?” 

“Yeah, of course, who else would I ask?” he laughed, “I don’t think Daisy would be welcomed, and uh, I’m not exactly dating anyone.”

“But you’d bring your gruff friend who looks like he’s probably killed someone.”

“You’re not gruff!” Hal raised his hands, “You’re just… intimidating.” 

Dave rolled his eyes.

“I don’t mean it like that!” he backtracked, “Okay, so maybe you’re scary, and maybe I thought you were an ex-convict when I first met you, but you’re nice!” He knew his face was red, Dave was smiling like he knew something he didn’t. “And you’re more interesting than me.”

“If it’s with your coworkers, I feel like they’d be just about as interested in my job as you are.”

“Come on, Dave, just go to the dinner with me, okay?”

“Yeah, sure, if I  _ have  _ to.”

 

…

 

Dave looked about as comfortable in formal wear as a cat being forced to take a bath, Hal thought, watching him sit at their seats with a glass of champagne. Hal had been pulled over by one of his superiors, talking about development of the Turing machine during the war, how he wished he could’ve been there for its creation. “Yeah, it sounds like a lot of work, very interesting.” Hal said, too close to a deadpan, still singling out Dave in the crowd. “I’m sorry, sir, I have to leave. We’ll talk again?”

He walked over and sat down by Dave, “Are you alright? You look a little sick.”

“Sick?” Dave blinked out of whatever train of thought he was on, “Uh, there’s a lot of people here.”

“We can go, if you don’t want to stay.” He said as Dave set down his glass.

“No, no, what if you receive one of the awards?”

Hal laughed nervously, “Ha-ha, as if.”

“You never know.” 

He placed his elbow on the table, making his empty glass fall over with a clank against a plate. Dave fixed it for him before he could move. “Thanks,” he grimaced.

“You’re welcome,”

“Hey, Emmerich!” a man appeared from the crowd with a huge smile. 

“Oh, God, I’ll be right back.”

 

…

 

Dave had been listening to a young woman chatter on. She had started by flirting with him, getting him a new drink, and asking what he did around here, but as soon as she heard he was Hal’s friend, she began going on and on about his work. “So he does some pretty important stuff, then?”

“Important?” The girl squinted, “No, not important, _ groundbreaking _ . You’re Dr. Emmerich’s friend right? Oh, hi!” she smiled as Hal stepped next to Dave, surrendering himself to her hug. “I just met Dave, he’s everything you said he was.” she laughed. Hal stammered.

“Uh-”

“Everything you said I was?” Dave nudged him with his elbow, “And what did he say I was?”

“Um-”

“Oh, you know,” she began, “Tall, dark, mysterious.”

“I did not say that!”

“You meant it,” she said, “Well, I guess I should leave you two, don’t be a stranger, Hal, Dave.” she kissed them both on the cheek and slipped away, leaving Hal flustered. It wasn’t unusual for Hal to be that way, it was just about a resting emotion for him. But after walking through the hallways, pushing through people, Hal stopped in an empty corner.

“We can- we can go home.” he said, looking back and forth. The lights had flashed once or twice, and people were streaming into the banquet hall.

“Do you want to?”

“If you’re okay with it-”

“Of course, let’s get out of here.” Dave said, resting a hand on Hal’s shoulder for a moment. Hal ducked his head and they sped out through a back door, the cold night bursting against them. 

“Thanks.” Hal mumbled as they followed the tall lamps to a main road and hailed a cab. Dave leaned over the passenger’s seat and told the driver where to go, resting back into the leather bench as he caught Hal’s eyes. Red and orange and green lights flickered through the window from the neon signs outside, some streets a blinding yellow, some streets a subdued blue. They paid the driver and walked back into the house, Hal catching Daisy as she flung herself on him.

“It’s no problem, leaving, you know.” Dave said as he took his wallet out of his back pocket and set it on the counter, “I’d never mind.”

“Never.” Hal repeated, not a question.

“But,” he began, Hal looked up from the dog, “We should still celebrate your work. You were whining about missing a movie tonight, weren’t you?”

“I was!” he smiled.

They hunkered down on the couch with homemade sandwiches and several beers and tried to watch Frankenstein, finally playing on television for the season. Despite having been excited, Hal quickly fell asleep, head on Dave’s shoulder.  The movie ended and he was still awake, thinking that the maybe science fiction wasn’t so bad after all. Daisy slept soundlessly in front of the tv set.

It wasn’t awful, sitting there, Hal warm under the quilt they were sharing, or how he could feel him breathing softly. It certainly wasn’t awful when he readjusted himself in his sleep, trying to keep that warmth by curling up on Dave more. In fact, he rather liked being here, with his friend, all alone in their house. It really was  _ their  _ house now. If Hal hadn’t need of the extra space for his equipment, he would’ve officially moved in months ago. 

He wondered vaguely if this was how married people felt, and then willed away the thought to just enjoy what he had now. Nothing more, nothing less. But he couldn’t lie to himself that much, he wasn’t entirely content with their situation. Sometimes, when Hal was working, and Dave was there to hold things in place, or to read over his notes, or to bring him coffee, he would stop and remember how much he liked this man, sitting behind stacks of paper with a frown on his face. He really, truly enjoyed the way he blathered about bureaucracy, he loved to watch him get excited about a book he had just read, how Dave should read it too (he always did), or how the movie adaption was terrible. Even when he was quiet, tapping away on his typewriter with pride, reading in shock, throwing a ball for Daisy with a smile, it all made Dave want to sit down and write a list of how he felt. Not that he’d know where to start. 

“You could ask anything of me.” he said, heart picking up even though he was well aware Hal was asleep. He scrunched his nose against Dave’s shirt, and he wondered what Hal was dreaming of. Dave was not lying- he’d never lie to him if he could help it. He thought about Hal, about them, and frowned. He wasn’t an idiot, he knew what they had was different. But he’d rather not be a nuisance or worse, make Hal feel unsafe. “I love you a lot.” he said, voice barely above a breath, and closed his eyes. If he pretended to sleep, maybe it would fall upon him.

 

…

 

Hal felt warm, an unusual sensation to wake up to for him. He had spent the past few months sleeping on a mattress they had gotten second-hand from a neighbor, in Dave’s study. It was small and lumpy, but it was a bed, something he hadn’t had for a long time. Before Dave had moved in, he had only owned a couch, causing him back pain for far too long. But here he was, blinking himself slowly awake, enveloped in warmth. 

He managed to open his eyes, only to find himself face first into someone’s chest, with their arm over his side. Without a moment of thought, he knew it was Dave. How funny, he thought they had both fallen asleep on the couch. And how funny it was that they had accidentally fallen together during sleep, or that Hal woke up before Dave. 

The morning sun poked its head through the window, the soft blue and white striped walls tinged gold, the wood floor warm and dreamy. Maybe this was a dream, he wondered. He closed his eyes, then opened them again. No, definitely not. “Dave?” he asked.

He breathed deeply, his chest rising and muscles tightening as he made a miniscule stretch. Hal watched as his eyes did nothing short of flutter open. “Oh,” he said, face far too close to Hal’s to be a normal morning, “Good morning.”

“Good morning.” he said back.

Hal couldn’t think of anything to say- for once. They could get breakfast, but, if he was honest with himself, he wasn’t hungry. Maybe the dog was? But she wasn’t at the foot of the bed whining, so likely not. There was nothing to get away from Dave and his ridiculously blue eyes that were burning into his own. Even without his glasses he could see the remaining summer freckles on his nose, the tiny scar on his left eyebrow, the lines beneath his lashes from his deep set eyes. Hal glanced over his shoulder, feeling the awkwardness of the situation catch in a lump in his throat. “I thought I fell asleep on the couch?” he asked, voice a little high.

“Oh,” Dave said again. “Yeah, but you looked cold. And it’s too small.”

Hal nodded, “Uh, thanks.” he looked back down- Dave hadn’t looked away, “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” He said, and then frowned. Hal frowned back. “What time is it?”

Hal sat up a bit and read the alarm clock next to the bed, “Nine o’clock.”

Dave shot up out of bed, “I have to go. I’m late.”

“Late?” Hal watched as he threw his shirt across the room and scrambled through the dresser. “For what?”

“I- I got a job offer.” He shimmied into a white t-shirt and ripped a button-up out of the closet, meanwhile jumping into pants. Hal almost laughed. 

“A job offer? I thought you got enough from boxing?” He wondered, “Are you bored?”

Dave glared at him, strangling himself with a green tie, Hal’s green tie. He didn’t remember the exact date he started sharing the closet. “A little, yeah.” 

“Where is it at?”

“The gym.” he huffed, his eyes barely open, still blinking back brightness and sleep. Hal stood up and undid his tie- it was backwards- and fixed it as best he could. He wasn’t great at knots, but he was certainly better at a winchester than Dave apparently was. 

“Doesn’t your coach own the place? I thought she was a nice, grandmother type.”

“If your grandmother could kick your ass to Cuba, maybe.” 

“Okay, well,” he stepped back and appraised Dave’s 5 o’clock shadow and ruffled hair. “Brush your teeth before you go.”

 

…

 

The pictures Hal had taken on the trip were bad. Embarrassingly bad, really. A picture of a duck, a picture of himself in front of the white house, and the picture of the Washington monument were the only salvageable ones. All the rest were patchy and yellow, more ducks, a few more photos of himself, and a picture of a letter saying, ‘Hi, Dave!’ all looked terrible. Dave shut the drawer they were kept in and smiled to himself. 

 

…

 

They walked home from lunch in the park, lunging up the steep hills and nearly sliding down the declines, walking past neighborhood after neighborhood. Sometimes, if they had nothing to do, they’d take the longest way back possible- see the most houses, the most people. Education, for Dave, and something to do for the both of them. Far past the park, they entered a rather affluent block of homes. 

“I used to live here, when I was little.” Hal said, looking up to the top of the multi-story painted ladies. “They tore the house down, though.”

“That’s a shame.”

Hal laughed, “It was a little ugly, to be honest. It was pink and green with orange accents.”

“Sounds like your kind of house.”

“Yeah,” he said, wistfully, “But we only had it for a few years, anyways.”

“What happened?”

Hal shrugged, “Family matters, I guess.” he smiled, “Hey, if you think my side of the house was messy, you should’ve seen my mother’s work rooms.”

“Rooms?”

“Yeah, the house was actually pretty big,” they said, standing before a tall green and blue Victorian, “Three bedrooms, plus a study, kitchen, and all that. But I shared a room with my sister so there could be two studies. And the living room was filled with the stuff too.”

“What did she study?”

“She was vague about it. There were lots of weird machines and paperwork. A few days after she died the government came in and removed every scrap of her research and told us to forget about it.”

“How long ago was that?”

Hal frowned, thinking back, “I was seven. October ‘21.” 

“This month, huh.” Hal was staring off at the house blankly, mouth slightly open like he was trying to repeat something he had barely heard. Dave tugged his sleeve, making Hal jump. “Sorry.”

“No, it’s fine.” He said as they continued to walk, still not entirely free of the strange expression he was making. “It’s just- I can’t remember if we had a funeral.”

Dave looked at him.

“She was- well, she was never really declared-” he bit his lip, “there was no certificate. And then he went to- and then he left three months later, I don’t think there was a funeral. She has a grave, but-” Hal was wringing his hands. 

“Let’s just go home.” Dave said, putting a hand on his back. Hal nodded.

“Yeah, yes, that’s a good idea.”

 

...

 

Hal didn’t have dreams often, and if he slept at all, it was like the dead. He woke with bags under his eyes and only after a generous mug of coffee. Maybe it was how Dave had let him sleep in the same bed as him- he didn’t move, didn’t wake up early, and made no sound at all. Hal had been told it was almost scary, seeing him passed out. But as he dragged himself out of bed and down the stairs, he felt suddenly more awake than usual.

“Morning,” Dave said, closing the front door. His cheeks were red from the cold and exercise, Daisy bouncing along at his heel. “Sleep well?”

He shrugged.

“Coffee?”

He nodded, and followed Dave into the kitchen, maybe taking too long to watch how his shoulders filled out the leather coat, how ginger his scarred hands were as they started a kettle, procured mugs from the cabinet, coffee grounds from the tin on the shelf. He thought about how well he knew this room, how he knew where to put the spoons when Dave dried the dishes, just how much weight he could put on one foot so the stairs wouldn’t moan underneath him. It scared him, a little bit, that he had memorized where Dave kept the baking soda, where he kept the paper, the extra ink, the scissors. The house was becoming apart of him, and he apart of it. 

“Thanks.” he mumbled, rubbing his eyes as Dave turned to face him, only realizing now he had forgotten to put on his glasses. How could he had woken up, walked down stairs, and watched Dave make coffee while nearly legally blind? Hal stopped himself from going up stairs, if only for a moment. He had memorized that too, then. It was so imprinted in his mind, he hardly needed any visual cues. He had memorized Dave’s presence. 

 

…

 

Maybe it was there, on the grass, late at night that he finally understood why he felt so comfortable around him. The street lights were hazy, yellow, little bursts of light against a darkening purple night. There was no one at this park, not at this time of evening, not in this part of the city, as wild as it was. Only the dog lying lazily in the cool grass, belly to the sky and tongue lolling out in a daze of happiness before Dave and Hal spread out. Dave was staring through the light pollution into the night, like he was singling out a certain star, a certain planet, a certain place, and Hal was watching him through his glasses. 

He was going to say something, something about going home, or leashing up the dog, but the contour of Dave’s face was gold, and his shirt, under the coat, was too small, just the right size for Hal. He asked himself the same question he had wondered again and again: what did Dave see? What did he see in the sky, through the lights, and what did he see in Hal?

A mourning dove cooed, all its fellows long asleep, and Daisy rolled over, ears as perked up as they could get. But she didn’t move, and Hal didn’t notice the golden band of Dave’s silhouette move down, down, eyes on him. Dave’s hand was on his fistful of grass, and then the other on his shoulder, as light and delicate as anything could ever be. Hal didn’t blink as Dave’s eyes searched his, and only closed his eyes as the man holding him leaned over, in.

They kissed. 

His heart raced but he wasn’t afraid. Instead he was warm, warmer than he had ever felt, and his free hand tightened around the one placed on his shoulder. He felt Dave smile and was lucid once again, like he was bursting out of a pool on a hot evening. This was Dave around him, Dave’s stubble scratching his chin, Dave’s hand sliding down his shoulder to hold his upper arm, Dave’s eyes twinkling as they moved away. 

Daisy bounced as they walked home, hand in hand, glad for the dead street lamp in front of the house, and for each other’s company. 


	5. V.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys!  
> This is the final chapter, plus an epilogue, so I'm gonna put all my stuff right here.. anyways im very sorry about how long the wait was between chp4 and 5, but its done now! secondly, i wanted to thank people who commented, it really helped to motivate me. haha there were even a few comments that made me update as soon as i read them. so thank you so much for that. and finally, and im very sincere about this, if you ever have the chance to take a boxing class, get on it. i still cant believe that fuckin ao3 got me into sports (when i started the outlines of this around may 2017), but like. man. its real cool.  
> have a wonderful day wherever you might be!

Daisy bolted down the empty shoreline, ears pulled back by the wind and the sheer velocity of her gallop. Hal held up a small machine before him, watching the meter on the face of it dip and rise as they walked the edge of the water. He frowned and tapped the side of the box, mumbling something to himself before lowering the instrument hip-height, barely noticing as their bare feet stepped over seaweed and lost crabs. Dave was utterly impressed that it was picking up anything at all, but then again, it was Hal. He had bothered him about his “groundbreaking work”, but knew that it was true. He was fantastically clever, and anyone who had met him for even less than a split second knew that.

November’s weather had stagnated to an even 50 degrees- no white Christmas to be had in California, but Dave didn’t really mind. He wasn’t used to such a mild winter, and Hal needed the extra jackets. Even out on the gusty beach he was in a long sleeve shirt and rolled up jeans, while Hal was packed under a knitted sweater, parka, and a wool beanie that fit so snug over his ears it made his glasses rise off the bridge of his nose. 

Hal groaned, scrunching up his face in frustration.

“Any signal?” Dave asked.

“No, not anymore.” he huffed.

“Anymore?”

“Back a few yards it spiked by three units, but only there.”

“Should we turn around?”

They turned around.

“You know, I was really surprised you even came out here with me.” Hal said, still focused on tuning the machine. “It’s pretty abysmal work.”

“So it’s illegal to go to the beach with a friend?”

“In November?” Hal scoffed. Dave chuckled and looked out to where the ocean met the sky in one solid gray line. Despite going everywhere together now, Hal still seemed to be unable to believe Dave wanted to be around him. On one hand, it was a bit endearing that he was shocked by small acts of affection, but he wished there was no question about his feelings towards him.

“It’s like this all year and you know that.” he said.

“I guess it is.” Hal looked up from the device as Daisy caught up with them, panting as hard as she could. “You know, I’ve been thinking.”

“Oh no.”

“Ha-ha.” Hal deadpanned. “Anyways, we should travel. Not for my work or anything, but we should buy a car and go.”

“Go where?”

The waves crashed and he watched Hal think for a moment before saying, “Everywhere. I’ve lived in this state my whole life. Let’s drive down the coast, and then go east- through Arizona.”

Dave could picture them in a beat up car, windows down and three black lanes going both directions for miles- hot, dry wind in their faces. It was a nice thought, and it warmed him slightly to think of it as his feet sunk into freezing wet sand. “What about the dog?”

“We’ll bring her!”

Daisy looked up like she knew she was being talked about, tongue lolling out.

“I don’t know if she’d like being holed up in a car for hours at a time.”

Hal shrugged, “I guess. Maybe we can find someone to take care of her.”

Maybe the Boss would, she seemed like she might like dogs. His mind went back to the image of them heading through the desert, and he smiled. What a nice, simple desire it was. He’d been through all of New England, but hadn’t traveled most of the country. “We could go to the Grand Canyon.”

“We could go to the Grand Canyon! Go north and see the arches! Have you been to Yellowstone? Kowalski- at work- went with his family and said it was gorgeous.” Hal said, excitedly. 

“I haven’t.” he looked up at Hal, “Yeah, let’s buy a car.”

Hal’s machine screeched as the red line hit the right side of the meter. He jumped. Making small circle, Hal tried to find the exact spot where it hit, holding the device high, then low, babbling on about national parks and how he’d been saving money for years- maybe gas would be just the thing to spend it on. Dave smiled. He hadn’t been on a real road trip, one just to drive, not really going to any one place, for longer than he could remember. 

 

....

 

“Elbows in.” Dave nodded towards Hal, who was putting up a rather weak fight. “Put your weight on your back leg. Good.”

Hal huffed and blew a strand of hair from out of his face. “Are you sure I’ll ever need this?”

“More than a giant computer that takes up two thirds of the house.” Dave said, throwing a punch at Hal’s forehead, but intentionally missing. 

“Ha!” Hal yelped, ducking, “Giant computers put bread on the table, _ Dave _ .”

He rolled his eyes and jabbed again, but Hal had caught on. Just as his arm extended, Hal swatted it away, the most serious frown Dave had ever witnessed plastered onto his partner’s face. He smiled, “Good one.”

“So if I get mugged what, am I just supposed to bat at them?” Hal said as he ran a stiff wrapped hand through his hair.

“Well, I’d hope you’d run, first of all.”

Hal glared.

“But if you didn’t, then yes, I’d say your best bet would be defense. You think about things pretty quickly, so I’m sure if you focused enough you could find an-  _ oof _ ” Dave stumbled back, hands to his gut. The white padding groaned as he fell back, ass first.

Hal stood in front of him, shaking out his wrist. “Ouch, don’t know how you can do that every week.” He said, smiling like a fool.

Dave blinked, and then looked up to Hal, “You-”

“Me?” he pointed at himself, “Are you talking to me?”

“You bet I am.” Dave was unable to frown, instead he took Hal’s extended hand and hopped back up. Hal’s other hand went again to his gut, but Dave caught it, bringing it up between them and pressing a hard kiss to his knuckles. Hal groaned, but smiled through it, and was pulled towards Dave, letting himself be kissed on the cheek. 

“Awful nice we have the place to ourselves.” Hal’s nose wrinkled as Dave’s beard scratched him.

“Mm-hmm” Dave said, not hearing him.

“Couldn’t have picked a better time?”

He felt Dave’s eyelashes on his cheek as he kissed his jaw. “No.” he mumbled.

Hal froze. “Uh, Dave.” He wasn’t listening.

He looked down and tugged at his sleeve, trying to worm his way out of his arms, “Dave-”

“Yeah?” he looked up, hair messy and eyes soft.

“God, Dave.” he muttered, “Uh-”

“Hi, boys.” Dave looked like a cat struck by lightning. He instantly dropped Hal and leapt back as they stumbled apart. The voice had come from the entrance, where the door sealed shut. Dave spun around and saw the Boss unbuttoning her big wool coat next to her bag set on the counter.

“Ma’am! I didn’t know you would be around today-”

She waved her hand, “It’s alright, Dave. You think I would take Christmas Eve off?” she laughed and hung up the coat, unraveling the knit scarf to set next to it too. “Do you boys have somewhere to be tomorrow?”

“Oh, yes, actually-” Hal began, and then dropped it, embarrassed.

The Boss laughed, “Good, now what about tonight?”

“No, not really.” he responded again.

“Would you mind accompanying an old woman for Christmas Eve?”

The two looked at each other, “Of course, Boss.” Dave said, slipping out from under the ropes and jumping down onto the floor. Hal followed, taking Dave’s hand for support as he hopped off the edge. 

“Good man.” she nodded and patted his arm.

“Well, we were- uh- we were just on our way out.”

“Were you?” she asked.

“Yeah, uh, Hal’s got some work to finish.”

She nodded, “Of course, of course. Eight o’clock tonight?”

Dave nodded a little too eagerly. “Eight o’clock, see you Boss.”

“Bye David, Hal.” 

Dave blushed as they hurried out of the building, unwrapping their hands as they climbed the hill to their house. They stayed silent as the neighborhoods shifted, hands burrowed in their pockets, ears reddening under the cold. Up and over the first hill, Hal slipped an unnoticed hand into Dave’s coat pocket. They smiled.

 

…

 

Hal had never been to Dave’s boss’s house. Or Joy, he had been told to call her, he remembered. But such a nice name seemed a little too uncanny for the tough-as-nails grandmotherly lady. He walked behind Dave as they entered the apartment, passing into an intensely decorated red room. 

“I’m not much of a collector.” She said with a vague gesture to the walls lined with paintings and pictures, over to the China cabinet overflowing with Delft. “But my late husband was more sentimental than me.” she laughed a little bit and nodded to the green love seat that sat under a large portrait of the Bay. “Coffee?”

“Yes please.” Hal said. Dave nodded with a smile and she left the room. 

“We should’ve gotten a tree.” Dave said, looking at the fir in the corner. Hal had hardly noticed it, with every piece of art in the room clawing for attention. In comparison with the piano topped with pictures of every man, woman, and child Joy had been close to in her life, with handmade hard-wood frames to match, the tree was a twig with some tinsel thrown on it.

“The dog would eat it.”

He laughed, “Oh, you’re right.”

The Boss walked back in, balancing three wheel thrown mugs and a plate of speculoos. Dave stood up to take the plate, but she shook her head and set them down on the coffee table on her own. She sat down in a matching green chair across from them and sighed deeply. “So, have you two got any plans?”

“How do you mean?” Dave asked, handing a coffee to Hal as he bit down on a cookie. 

“For the future?” She said with a straight face as she sipped from her mug. Dave and Hal glanced at each other briefly before looking away.

“Oh, um, well, we were thinking about buying a car.” Hal sputtered. 

“Hal’s never been to the Grand Canyon.”

“A roadtrip?” she asked, “When I was younger I went on one, cross country, with someone I cared a lot for.” she settled into her seat, stern, but at the same time completely at ease.

“Your husband?” Hal asked. 

She shook her head, “Oh, no, not really. That was before he came along.”

“Wow, Boss, were you wild when you were younger?” Dave joked.

“David,” she said, her voice a warning, but not an entirely serious one.

“She served in the Great War under a man’s name.” Dave not so secretly whispered to Hal. His eyebrows shot up.

“Wow, that’s amazing.”

“That’s how I met your father, David. You look exactly like he did when he was your age. I was his superior, and then when the war was over, his trainer.”

Hal looked at Dave and tried to picture his father the same age. It wasn’t too hard- from what he had seen months ago, he really was a carbon copy of his old man. Maybe that’s what Dave would look like at fifty too. His heart warmed at the thought of seeing him so many years into the future. 

“Hal, your mother’s maiden name was Strangelove, was it not?”

He sat up, “Yes, it was.”

Her small grin widened to a full smile, “We met in the military too.”

“You did?” he asked, mouth ajar.

She nodded, “Oh, yes, and she was something, alright. We were very close. It was terrible to hear she had passed.”

Hal sunk down in his seat, “Terrible.”

“But, actually, Hal.” she said, one finger raised, “Ever since David talked about you, I have wanted to give you something.”

“We brought a present too-” Dave began.

“No, this is something else.” She grabbed the arms of her chair and pushed herself up. “Let me show you something.” Dave and Hal set down their mugs and followed her as she left the room and climbed the stairs. Hal watched as the wallpaper changed color, decorations morphing from paintings to wood carvings and lithographs. At the end of the hallway, Joy stopped. “My husband was a photographer before he became career military. We shared a healthy obsession.” she knocked on the door before opening it.

Hal walked in behind Dave, hands on his back as they looked up and around, their eyes following the likely thousands of photographs hung around the walls and scattered down into thick leather bound books. Joy stepped beside them and began to shuffle through some of the black books, flipping past wars and marriages and children. Finally she stopped. “Here.” she turned, a red book in hand. Hal accepted it as she patted off the dust, revealing a crumbling photo of two young women in bathing suits and large hats. 

Hal looked up at Joy, as if to ask permission to open it.

“Go ahead.”

He bit his lip, bracing himself for whatever would come. With a shaky hand, he opened the cover. 

A photo of a pale woman filled the first page. She looked surreal, like she would blink if Hal waited long enough, her lips stained a gentle red against the grays and whites of her face. Her eyes too were painted a soft blue. “God-” Hal mumbled, “She was so young.”

“She had a terrible headache after that, we might have temporarily blinded her from the flash. But she recovered quickly and we all had lunch.” The Boss said. “Hal,”

He looked up from the photo.

“Keep it.”

“Are you sure?” he asked, wiping his eyes. “You don’t have to. You don’t even know me very well, you shouldn’t just-”

“Don’t tell me what I should and should not do, Dr. Emmerich.” she said suddenly, and then softer, “You deserve it.”

If he wasn’t crying before, he was now. Dave put a hand on his shoulder as he clutched the book to his chest, “Thank you so much.” 

 

They exchanged gifts and finished their drinks, only for Joy to bring out a bottle of wine she had been saving for decades. Without much squawk, Hal convinced Dave to hammer out as much as he could remember of any Christmas carol he knew. He smiled against his shoulder blade as Dave sung off-key, Joy resting on the couch humming along. Dave kissed his forehead and stumbled through  _ It Came Upon a Midnight Clear  _ as Hal wrapped an arm around his waist. 

As they left the house, the Boss smiled again, “Have a wonderful Christmas, boys.”

“You too, Boss!”

“Thanks again, Joy.” Hal said as she pulled him into a hug. 

“Of course, get home safely.” 

They walked home in the dark, laughing and bumping into each other. “Hey, Hal.” Dave said. “I have a secret.”

“What’s that?” he asked as they passed under a streetlamp.

“It’s embarrassing.” he said, looking away.

“No, tell me.” he looped his arm through Dave’s. “Dave-”

Dave looked at him, “I love you.”

“Is that all?” He smiled. “You were embarrassed by that?”

“No, that’s not all.” he said as they came up to their house. Hal didn’t think twice about opening the left door. The dog barked as he shut it behind them. 

“Then what?” Hal said, turning the lock.

“I love you a lot.” Dave said with utter sincerity. “I love you- so much.” 

“Aw, Dave, don’t look at me like that.” Hal groaned. Dave’s eyes were twinkling in the dark room. “I love you too, come here.” he wrapped his arms around him and squeezed, Dave almost instantly hugging back. They stood there for a moment, with Dave’s face smashed into Hal’s shoulder, arms as tight as they could be wound without killing each other, before Daisy nosed her way in between them. “Hi, girl.” Hal said, “I love you too.”

“I love you so much, Daisy.” Dave said, crouching down to pet her. She licked his face as he said again, “I love you so much.”

“Dave- hey, let’s go to bed.”

He looked up, his eyes sparkling with a suddenly clarity. Hal was almost alarmed by how peaceful he looked. “Hal?”

“Yeah?”

He smiled, “Merry Christmas.”

“Merry Christmas.” He bent over and kissed him on the forehead before dragging him up to bed.

...

_ Dave, _

_ I guess you better have this then. Good luck. _

_ -Eli _

Dave hid the letter and its contents quickly, before Hal came home

…

The man narrating Times Square was laughably energetic. 1947- it’d be a year to remember, if only everyone sought to make it their best. Hal was dissecting the radio as it hummed, medical tape wrapped around his index finger from an electrical burn. Daisy was asleep by the table, grumpy that they didn’t go to bed on time. Dave leaned on the table, watching Hal fight against the box and losing. 

“The year flew by pretty quick, huh?” Dave said, taking a sip of his beer. 

“I remember feeling like it was never going to end, actually.”

“Is that right?” he smiled, “Well, here we are- at the end.”

Hal looked up from his work with a small grin, “You’re not as happy about it, I take.”

“Oh, when you get to be my age you’ll understand.”

“Your age! You’re not that much older than me.” Hal said. “Ah-” he hissed, shaking his hand loose.

“Did it shock you?” Dave asked.

“Yeah, it’s like it’s- protecting itself.”

“So you’re harming a defenseless radio, and for what?”

Hal rolled his eyes, “So we can get more stations.”

The radio buzzed at them, the man’s voice suddenly louder “- _ And with just two minutes left, the crowd is brimming with excitement!”  _

“Two minutes-” Dave mumbled, setting his glass on the table. He stood up and switched the lights off, the soft glow of the city warming up. 

Hal groaned, “I can’t work like this.”

“Take a break, Hal.”

“Dave-”

“Take a break.” Dave pulled a small envelope out of his pocket and crumpled it in his hand.

“Yeah, alright.” he pushed the radio to the center of the table and stole Dave’s drink. “Remember when I came over last year?” he said, looking out the window, “I- that made me really happy. Thank you for-” 

“Hal.”

“Huh?” he looked over his shoulder. Dave stood before him, a solid black shadow save for the sliver of light over his face. He looked serious, like how he always used to be, strong eyebrows furrowed. “What’s that, Dave?”

He looked down to his fist. “You don’t have to...”

“Have to what?” 

“Well, I just don’t want you to feel like-” he tried again, “Or that you’re obligated- and-”

“You’re being very cryptic.”

“I usually am.”

“No, you’re the straightforward one, I’m the cryptic one.”

Dave looked away.

“Hey-” Hal rest his hand on Dave’s forearm, “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong. I’ve been thinking. Thinking about the car, and Daisy, and the house, and us.”

Hal smiled.

“And it’s good, but-” he bit his lip, “Sometimes when I was in the ring, I’d think about you. Where you were, what you were doing. All the time I wondered why you’d stuck around.” he said, “Hal,” 

“Yes?”

“Marry me.”

Hal blinked. “ _ Only thirty seconds now, folks! Thirty- twenty-nine- twenty-eight-”  _ The light outside reflected on Hal’s glasses, coloring them a neon yellow, the shimmer crossing his face in half. Dave didn’t know what to say. The grip on his arm tightened for a second, and then he let go.

Suddenly, Hal laughed, making Dave step back. “ _ Nineteen- eighteen- seventeen- _ ”

He stood up and pushed the chair under the table. People were chanting over the radio, Hal looked him square in the eyes.

“ _ Ten- nine- eight-” _

Dave was pulled into another one of Hal’s strangling hugs, unable to do anything but stand still, arms around his shoulders. “ _ Three- two-” _

“Yes, of course.”

“Yeah?” he managed to pull back. 

“Christ, Dave, yes!” 

_ “Happy New Years! _ ”

Dave was thrown back into the hug, laughing into Hal’s shoulder, “Happy New Years!” he felt like he was going to cry. Hal kissed his cheek, a crack and a boom ringing outdoors. Daisy perked up, suddenly awake. Someone was singing now on the channel, a soft ballad with a guitar and a young woman’s voice. Ideally, Dave thought, he could live here forever, in Hal’s tight hug, with Daisy and the fireworks outside. He slid out the arm trapped between them, with the envelope, and opened it in the one hand. A small gold band. “Hal.” he whispered into his neck. Hal pulled away. “This was my mother’s, before she left. Eli stole it when he ran away, but he sent it back to me.” he said, “Put out your hand.” his voice was small, quiet.

Hal extended his hand.

“Fits pretty well.” Hal said, surprised. He turned his hand over, watching the light reflect off of it. “It’s gorgeous.”

Dave smiled, proud of himself. 

“Dave,” Hal said, “How are we going to get married?”

He frowned, “Uh- I guess we find me a ring?”

“And then we drink champagne on the beach?”

“If you want to-”

“I do, I really want to.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

Hal kissed Dave, hard and sweet, like they were taking a picture, tucking a memory into the drawer with all Hal’s pictures, so they could go over it anytime they liked. Dave laughed again and again and Hal was pouring him another drink. This was it, this was it. “I love you so goddamned much.” Dave said. “So goddamned much.”

“I love you too, Dave.


	6. Epilogue

Twelve years later and a baby is quite literally placed at their doorstep. She’s tightly swaddled in a soft blue flannel, the folds of which contain a small note. “ _ My beloved Sunny” _ . Dave finds her first, shaking as he brings her into the house. He can’t breathe as he hands the child to Hal, who’s cooped up in another research paper. She’s bright and curious, eyes constantly wandering. Later on, Hal’ll joke that she has the same twinkle in her eyes that Dave gets when he’s awestruck. Dave jokes that she’ll outsmart Hal as soon as she learns how to read. She writes her first sentence at three.

 

…

 

Eli visits once. It’s a short trip, just in San Francisco for the day, then he’s off to Los Angeles or God knows where. Dave and him share a drink at the first bar he found when he moved to the city. He finds that Eli isn’t as angry as he used to be, but he’s sure as hell the same Eli that Dave grew up with. By the time he says he has to go, Dave’s not quite sure what they had even talked about. All he knows is Eli had gone out of his way to meet him again. Eli puts money on the counter and pats him on the back. Dave feels like he’s running out of time.

“I’m sorry.” he blurts.

Eli freezes. He’s gotten older, there’s wrinkles at the corners of his eyes, his hair is more gray than blonde. Maybe he feels the same pang of disgust. “Don’t be.” he says, “See you later, Dave.” 

They both secretly hope they will.

 

…

 

Dave quits boxing and becomes an avid reader. Hal had always been more of the breadwinner than him, anyways. Instead, he starts working for the library, just to pass time, and begins to bring home books he thinks Sunny would like. She loves them all. She eats up Dr Seuss until there’s none to be had. She moves onto fairy tales and mythology before she’s had enough of them. Hal reads them all through Tolkien after they finish  _ The Magician’s Nephew _ , and begins to find Sunny flipping through his technical notes and textbooks. He half expects her to point out things he’s missed, until she does, and has to remind her that they’re highly classified. 

 

…

 

Out here, on the hood of the car, Dave figures Sunny can see the whole of the canyon. The sun’s setting in the distance, turning the already red earth a bright crimson, the shadows of the looming walls a deep blue. Hal’s head is on his shoulder, and Sunny’s sitting on his lap, playing with a stuffed black bear. She’s five now. Dave worries that they’re not good enough for her, that they’ve isolated her by staying together, but God, do Hal and him love her. “Did you-you know there’s five differ-different ecosystems here?” Sunny smiles, holding up her bear to the sunlight.

“I did not.” Dave says. “That’s a lot of animals.”

“Forty-one types of reptiles!” 

“How many snakes?” Hal asks.

She frowns, “I don’t-I don’t know.”

“We saw a rattlesnake earlier, so that’s one.” Dave says.

Sunny nods.

“You’re telling me there’s at least one type of snake here?” Hal says with a laugh.

“Well, we’re right. Aren’t we, Sunny?” Dave looks down at her.

“Yeah!” 

“See, we’re right.” Dave says, placing a kiss to Hal’s temple. 

“You are right, there’s one snake in all of the canyon and it’s right here.” Hal elbows Dave, unable to stop him from laughing.

“Wow, good one. Sunny, was that a good one?”

“That’s a good one!” she giggles, raising her bear over her head. 

“Thanks, you two.” Hal says, ruffling Sunny’s hair with his hand. “Maybe we’ll just drive back home right now.”

“No!” Sunny looks around, eyes wide.

“I’m kidding, Sunny, don’t worry.”

She smiles and hands him her bear, “Papa?”

“Yes?” Hal replies.

“Thank you, for driving us here.”

Hal holds the bear close to him, “I can’t believe how sweet of a kid you are. Of course. It’s no problem at all. Besides, your dad drove most of the way anyways.” 

Sunny smiles and leans back against Dave happily. Hal makes her bear walk over to her and then roars, she laughs and grabs it, smushing her face against its side as she watches the sun go down over the canyon. Dave sighs, this time resting his head on Hal’s shoulder and closes his eyes for a moment. “Hal?” he says quietly after Sunny’s breathing has slowed.

“Yeah?”

“Sometimes I forget how much I’ve wanted this.”

“Me too.”

“I love you, Hal. You’re the best goddamn person on Earth.”

Hal looks down at their view, then over to Dave on his shoulder, holding a sleeping Sunny in his arms. “Dave?”

“Yeah.”

“I love you too.”


End file.
